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MTV, Diversity and Sexual
Harassment:
Creating a Respectful Workplace
by Nan Andrews Amish
Leadership Tip: A respectful workplace is more productive
than a disrespectful one.
Legal Tip: A hostile workplace is more costly than a
safe and respectful one.
Finance Tip: Companies that provide Harassment Training
have been found not responsible for harassment punitive damages,
under California Law.
Training Tip: California Law requires all managers and
supervisors to participate in a harassment training program
at least once every two years.
Creating a highly productive workplace can feel like a juggling
act. You need consistency, yet you know you will be more effective
if you take everyone's communication style, motivation, and
individual differences into account. It can be a challenge.
Respect is the Key
The key component in both consistency and supporting your
employees individually turns out to be respect. Respect for
their expertise, respect for their styles, and respect for all
the things that make them who they are including: their gender,
age, ethnic origin, religion, race, disabilities, even their
sexual preferences.
In the process, you need to make sure you are obeying employment
laws on diversity and harassment. Here are key behaviors:
-
Be respectful. Be consistent. Have policies
to promote respect and consistency.
-
Make decisions based upon legitimate business
reasons. Have practices which support and encourage business-based
decision making.
-
Cover your behind (also known as "CYA").
This means document, document, document. And document some
more.
-
Protect others' privacy, their confidential
information, their reputations.
-
When you are over your head, avoid "winging
it". Get help.
Having said that there is not much clarity about what respectful
looks like! What is a simple flirtatious comment, vs. what is
harassment? What is providing performance-based action, vs.
what is age discrimination? With three generations in the workplace,
and media preferences to promote sexuality at every opportunity,
there is confusion about what is legal, let alone what is respectful.
Even differences in style can color what we think is right,
appropriate or respectful.
For example:
-
Drivers focus on results to be respectful.
They respect speed, action, directness.
-
Influencers build relationships and respect
the relationship first before any action is taken.
-
Steadies respect order and tradition. To
be respectful to Steadies means giving them time to process
information in a non-rushed environment.
-
Conscientious respect perfection and define
respect by the rules.
Add the complexities of multi-generational workplaces, current
youth fashion trends that bare all and Hollywood's tendency
to objectify bodies, figuring out what works at work is not
easy!
The principles behind avoiding sexual harassment and providing
an environment which respects Baby Boomers, Gen-Xers, and Generation
Y are based upon appreciating the differences, and the value
the different viewpoints bring. To appreciate difference means
you need to understand it.
Unfortunately, with age, gender and power differences, media
influences like Britney Spears and MTV, political and religious
influences, this is easier said than done. Is a compliment about
your attire offensive? Is sexually suggestive dress appropriate?
Can public prayer be appropriate? Can it offend? Is stereotypical
judgment harassment? The answer in general is: It depends.
So what's a manager supposed to do? Here are some ideas to keep
your environment free from sexual, and other harassment.
Management Tips for a Respectful, Harassment-Free, Diverse
Work Environment
-
Think about your workforce's demographic
make-up. Anticipate reaction to various practices, policies.
What may be light banter to a young, male sales rep may be
offensive to an older female administrator. What may be offered
as a compliment by an executive may be perceived as manipulative
to a junior employee. What may seem like doing the right thing
for a middle-aged Christian parent may alienate a youthful,
gay or lesbian single. All of these may be harassment, once
communicated. The goal, again, is to be respectful to all
your workers.
-
Create an organizational culture where it
is safe for workers to express their needs and encourages
honest communication. If something makes a worker feel uncomfortable,
the optimal situation is that the worker feels safe enough
to provide feedback, of how the behavior or event made them
feel uncomfortable. This will nip any issues before they become
harassment.
-
Train your workforce to know that it is not
about who is right and who is wrong. It is about workers having
a right to be respected in their workplace by avoiding behaviors
which alienate or erode respect, as not productive to the
team.
-
Know that we will not get it perfect, but
that once informed we act. There is no excuse not to take
communications seriously. Brushing off comments is where we
get our organizations into dangerous legal muck. Building
solid relationships at work, where we can communicate, and
where we do take each other seriously is the foundation from
which to avoid harassment complaints.
-
Last but not least, schedule mandated harassment
training for managers and supervisors at least every two years.
Aside from it being the law, a little bit of prevention can
save hundreds of management hours and tens of thousands of
dollars in lawsuits and legal bills.
Respect plus communication brings legal, financial, productivity
benefits!
A hostile workplace is more costly than a safe and respectful
one. When workers fear going to work, their productivity drops
dramatically. Not to mention lawsuits. Is ignorance or ego worth
the price?
When people feel respected at work, their morale is good. They
are loyal. They are willing to go the extra mile. Respect combined
with high integrity communication increases your effectiveness
as an organization. Harassment is a non-issue. Respected workers
are free to contribute the best of their skills to your organization's
bottom-line.
Respect is a practice that takes time, but is worth the effort.
It is profitable behavior!
(947 words) Copyright © 2005-2007 Nan Andrews Amish. All rights
reserved.
Nan Andrews Amish and Big Picture Perspective
offer facilitation, member surveys, management assessments,
tools, workshops and keynote addresses to help associations,
leaders and teams increase their effectiveness by seeing the
big picture perspective. Nan knows associations. She is past
president of a 1000 member New England regional marketing association
and current board member and 2002 Member of the Year of the
National Speakers Association/Northern California.
Permission to reprint this article is granted,
provided original author is given credit, and a link to www.BigPicturePerspective.com
is included.
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